Lviv, Ukraine, is a true European hidden gem — a city I’d encourage anyone to visit, but I also hope it doesn’t become overrun with tourists and lose any of its charm. While I could go on and on in this blog about its many delights, I’m going to share more about a unique concept of restaurants in the city, the 23 bars and restaurants of !FEST.

The various theme restaurants — but I’m not talking about your typical theme restaurants, so visions of Rainforest Café should not be dancing through your head — include a monoproduct restaurant, a brewery, a bar serving only cherry liquor and a handmade chocolate shop, among others.

As you can see from these pictures, I made sure to enjoy the Drunk Cherry, the brewery and the underground coffee mine concept. While it might sound campy on the surface, I promise the experience at the outlets is anything but. The Drunk Cherry was packed, proving its popularity. The brewery hosts renowned events. While the Restaurant of Meat and Justice might offer a bit of camp by way of the unique experience, the food, I was told, rivals any other upscale eatery in Lviv. We enjoyed drinks and appetizers at The Most Expensive Galician Restaurant, another of the concepts, and it was fun in its theme, adding to the experience while serving excellent food and drink. And others, like the Post Office on Drukarska Street, transform a restaurant boasting the largest collection of Lviv postcards into a living piece of city history.

— Kimberly Krol, editor in chief